“The boys are going to make some money,” Dan Hooker is happy to enter the Octagon as a betting underdog against Islam Makhachev at UFC 267

“The boys are going to make some money,” Dan Hooker is happy to enter the Octagon as a betting underdog against Islam Makhachev at UFC 267

Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast

The number 6th ranked UFC Lightweight fighter, Dan Hooker is going to face the number 5th ranked Lightweight fighter, Islam Makhachev at a Lightweight contest at UFC 267. Makhachev is entering into this fight with an eight-fight winning streak and he is a heavy betting favorite with odds of -575 in his favor against Hooker who is coming into this fight as a heavy betting underdog with odds of +472 in his favor.

Dan Hooker knows very well about his role as an underdog and he is happy to enter this fight at UFC 267 as an underdog. Talking about the same in his latest interview with Submission Radio, Hooker says,

“I think it’s great. I don’t want to say anything that’s going to change that betting line too much. The boys are going to make some money, this is Makhachev’s party, and I’m just there to spoil it.”

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Islam Makhachev is the protégé of the former UFC Lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and both Khabib and Islam’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz claims, Dan Hooker has only one lucky punch to win this fight, otherwise 99% Islam Makhachev is going to maul him.

Talking about Abdelaziz’s claim, Hooker says, “I’m not fighting Ali, I’m not fighting Khabib, and they can believe whatever they want. Nothing Abdelaziz said has offended me, or been disrespectful.”

“They can say I’m just coming out and doing it for the money. It’s like. ‘Well, I do all the fights I do for money’. I don’t understand how that changes anything. It’s for a profession, if you didn’t pay me to fight, I would stop fighting. It wouldn’t be worth it. I don’t think there’s much substance to that argument.” {h/t SCMP}

Dan Hooker believes there are a lot of implications to be played for the next title contender

Islam Makhachev
Islam Makhachev

Khabib Nurmagomedov predicted that with a win against Dan Hooker at UFC 267, Islam Makhachev is going to fight the winner of Charles Oliveira vs Dustin Poirier. But Hooker believes this isn’t the fight for number one contender as there will be other permutations and combinations coming into play as well.

Dan Hooker added, “I feel like the Justin Gaethje/Michael Chandler fight and then us, whoever comes out with the best performance will essentially position themselves for a title shot.”

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“A lot can change in the Poirier Oliveira fight. Say for some reason Oliveira wins and Chandler wins, well then the rematch of Oliveria and Chandler doesn’t really make that much sense.”

In the end Hooker concluded, “There’s a lot of cogs moving but I feel like stepping up to the plate and capitalizing on this opportunity puts me in a pretty incredible spot after I get the job done.” {h/t SCMP}

Also Read: “Let’s see who really is the better fighter when we go out here,” Dan Hooker doubles down his call for a five-round fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 267.